The main argument is that an alternative model of viewing prisons and prisoners should be embraced that recognizes people’s humanity and citizenship. Within this alternative model, it becomes possible to view adult education within prisons as an education geared toward “the whole person” rather than as an education focused on the student’s weaknesses or focused on the student as an offender. The author claims that there are many ways of seeing prisons, prisoners, and learning within prisons and, as such, it is important to avoid a narrowing of perspectives. By narrowing one’s perspective of prisons, prisoners, and learning, educators work from a deficit model that views the inmate student from only one of many perspectives, such as student as offender. A good adult literacy education on the other hand, maintains a wide and deep perspective that involves listening, speaking, reading, writing, numeracy, and using everyday technology to communicate and handle information. In addition to viewing the students differently, prisons should also be viewed by educators via alternative models. The European Prison Rules (EPR) set out by the Council of Europe offers a good example of an alterative model of prisons and prisoners that should be embraced. Central to the position of the Council of Europe is that imprisonment greatly damages people and that suffering in inherent in the deprivation of liberty. The detrimental impact of imprisonment is thought to occur especially through a loss of self-respect or sense of personal responsibility. Correctional educators are tasked with the responsibility of giving back students’ self-respect and sense of responsibility within a prison regime that is at odds with such a perspective. References